Translation and Indigenization

Introduction

Translation, broadly speaking, lies at the heart of archaeology. Archaeologists translate their technical recordings of material finds and their contexts into understandings of past human thought and action. They translate the technical findings of other disciplines – geology, say, or physics – into archaeological terms and vice versa. They also translate their work from one language to another, from Vietnamese to French, for instance. Finally, they translate their “technical talk” into lay terms for public consumption. This last is ultimately the most important, because without the understanding and support of the wider, nonprofessional community, it would be well-nigh impossible for archaeologists to access the sites and acquire the funding necessary for them to practice their craft. This entry concerns one special form of “translation for the public,” namely, translation of archaeological approaches and results for Indigenous and other descendent communities. This kind...

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